I've been having the itch to play in some accoustic sets and am in the market for an acoustic bass. I really have my heart set on a Martin BCPA 4 but it is barely in my budget. There would need to be a lot of beans, pasta dinners to rebuild my war chest if I got one. I have been looking at the Warwick Aliens the basic and deluxe too since they are more reasonable, but the made in China part has me concerned. None of the shops around me have either so I cant really demo them. I have looked all over the internet at reviews, videos, chat room comments (here), and am leaning towards the Martin, but the cost is killing me. Any direction you could provide or alternate suggestions would be appreciated.
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Help choosing an accoustic bass
- Thread starter jimmyhat1978
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There's a Martin B1 on the bay right now with a BIN of 1300...much better than the newer BCPA model. Reverb has a BC15 if you want a cutaway...it's 1400. Also way better that the new ones. Both of these amp really well...I've gigged both. My opinion is that the Martins have a way better build than the Asian Aliens
Martin B1 acoustic basses are great. That or a Breedlove
Looks like I need to do some due dilligence on the Martin B-1's in your opinions what makes the preferable to the BCPa4's?
I can say from personal experience, the Martin B1 is loud, it "punches above its weight class" in terms of acoustic volume for a given body volume. However, it can't quite run with the "big boys". If you can find a Guild B50 in good shape at a reasonable price, buy it!!!! Same for an Earthwood, but unlikely to score one cheap. There are louder, but also $$er. The carbon fiber Emerald Balor is next on my list to try, saving pennies.
Of course, the Martin has the benefit of a pickup built in, so it's really all the more remarkable that it produces the acoustic volume it does. But for pure acoustic volume, I'd put the Martin close to the Tacoma Thunderchief, both maybe a half step behind the Guild and the Earthwood. Size matters.
Of course, the Martin has the benefit of a pickup built in, so it's really all the more remarkable that it produces the acoustic volume it does. But for pure acoustic volume, I'd put the Martin close to the Tacoma Thunderchief, both maybe a half step behind the Guild and the Earthwood. Size matters.
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The B1 is a larger body size than the BCPA because of not having a cutaway, which is an automatic upcheck for volume. Of course, if you want a cutaway, that would be different. Has a much nicer neck imho, and sweeter tone. Also about 500 cheaper. As bholder says, a big old Guild, NOT the newer little ones, is a step up, and an Earthwood is a grail...but all the B50s I've seen lately were in the 1800 and up range, when they showed up, and I haven't seen an Earthwood under 2500 in years, and they are really rare.
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I'd probably go for the Breedlove. String through bridge and a fretless offering being the bottom line.
String through can be an issue. A lot of us like tapewound strings on an abg, and stringthrough bridges frequently aren't bored large enough. My Mota is stringthrough, and I have to use a .105 E set from LaBella to get tapes in. My Martin has a pin bridge and wears .115 Rotosounds. I know a lot of electric players hate pin bridges, but they're totally normal and usually preferred by acoustic players, and an abg is an acoustic guitar. De gustibus etc., of course
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It took less that 5 minutes with a drill bit to open the bridge on my Breedlove enough for tapes. I didn't have a round file the right size at the time.
But it was painless to do.
I'd also suggest the Breedlove. I have an Atlas fretless (now discontinued) because of the larger body size. It's a little louder than the Solo version, but like any AEB, it still needs to be amplified.
Both of my Takamine ABGs wear LaBella 760N Tapes; no issues what so ever. I'd rather ream out a string through hole, if needed, than deal with a pin bridge. Good to hear you're not having an issue.
I've had a couple of Breedloves, fretted and fretless. Both were perfectly capable instruments for their mid-range price ($500-800). I kept the fretless and use it frequently.
I recently bought a Tacoma Thunderchief 5-string and am pretty happy with it (it's currently at my local luthier's shop getting a few things taken care of). Pretty awesome volume and presence, good balance between strings and comfy neck...though I really wish it didn't have a pin-hole bridge. I believe there's a Tacoma Thunderchief 4-string in the TB Classifieds right now.
From what TB threads I've read and in my own limited experience with ABG's, the size of the body and woods used seems to matter a lot. I played a few Taylor AB's over the years and they were pretty nice and loud, but I never seemed to have money when I came across one. Agreed with mikeoso and beholder above, if you find an older Guild B50 in good shape then buy it immediately (or privately tell me where it is!), and I'd almost buy any Ernie Ball Earthwood in any shape if the price is acceptable (as in "won't be cheap").
You could also look at commissioning a custom ABG, and if you're feeling adventurous I know of a one-off, custom-made ABG that I'd be willing to share info on (I mean, I'd like to buy it myself but want to go play it first and it's quite a ways away from me).
From what TB threads I've read and in my own limited experience with ABG's, the size of the body and woods used seems to matter a lot. I played a few Taylor AB's over the years and they were pretty nice and loud, but I never seemed to have money when I came across one. Agreed with mikeoso and beholder above, if you find an older Guild B50 in good shape then buy it immediately (or privately tell me where it is!), and I'd almost buy any Ernie Ball Earthwood in any shape if the price is acceptable (as in "won't be cheap").
You could also look at commissioning a custom ABG, and if you're feeling adventurous I know of a one-off, custom-made ABG that I'd be willing to share info on (I mean, I'd like to buy it myself but want to go play it first and it's quite a ways away from me).
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The Martin is hard to beat, whatever the model. It's the best sounding and playing ABG I've played. I like that the BCPA has a built in tuner. Would like to test drive the B1, but since I have the BCPA, I don't see the need to own another.
Really acoustic or a bunch of acoustics miked and DIed?
Totally unamplified you need a deep body and as much solid wood as possible in the body...definitely the top, back and sides as well is even better. There's a huge difference in volume between an ABG and a DB and it's because of the body size. I have played totally unamplifed gigs with my DB, they would have been impossible with an ABG.
I've been interested in this bass from Rigel: $2500 Have yet to see or hear one in person. Notice the huge body and DB-like bridge and tailpiece.
Totally unamplified you need a deep body and as much solid wood as possible in the body...definitely the top, back and sides as well is even better. There's a huge difference in volume between an ABG and a DB and it's because of the body size. I have played totally unamplifed gigs with my DB, they would have been impossible with an ABG.
I've been interested in this bass from Rigel: $2500 Have yet to see or hear one in person. Notice the huge body and DB-like bridge and tailpiece.
I use a Martin BC15E for acoustic gigs. It is similar to the BCPA but with a less ornate finish and a mahogany top rather than spruce. Mine plays very well, and I'd imagine the BCPA would as well. The BC15E has a fantastic tone; with a spruce top, I would think the BCPA might have a bit of an advantage over my BC15E. I recommend the Martin without reservation. I don't believe Martin is still making the BC15E. New they listed for about $2,100-$2,200 if memory serves, but there are a few good used examples available at GC and Reverb for slightly less than a new BCPA.
After trying out as many ABGs as I could find, I ended up getting an Epiphone El Capitan. And I didn't base that decision on price, although the lower price tag was a nice plus when compared to some of the alternatives. It's not a Tacoma when it comes to acoustic volume. But it holds its own against any reasonably played acoustic guitar IMO. And amplified, it's truly lovely thanks to the Shadow pickup and preamp in my model. If you dig a little you can get a pretty nice sort of string bass vibe going on it. I only wish mine were fretless. But you can't have everything for what I paid for mine I suppose. Well worth hunting down. They run about $500 for one in excellent condition used.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
I got my (early) B50NT for several hundred under that - but seller wouldn't ship - but was so worth a 1700 mile round trip road trip.
My Earthwood was quite a bit more. Still worth it.
